ILOILO City – The election officers of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) – Iloilo City, together with the City Treasurer’s Office, conducted the checking and inspection of 417 boxes of official ballots intended for all clustered voting precincts in the city yesterday.
According to Engr. Jinny C. Hermano, head of the City Treasurer’s Office, the purpose of the inspection is to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the delivered ballots, particularly to verify whether any were misrouted to or intended for other local government units (LGUs).
He emphasized the importance of immediately informing the respective election officers should any discrepancies or issues be found.
“We are closely examining the contents of each ballot box to confirm alignment with the official Project of Precincts, which contains the names of barangays, clustered precincts, and the number of registered voters,” he explained.
He added: “This process allows us to determine if there are any missing, incomplete, or undelivered official ballots designated for specific clustered precincts.”
The checking and inspection activity is part of the Commission’s standard pre-election procedures aimed at ensuring the smooth and orderly conduct of the upcoming electoral exercise in the city.
Present during the inspection were poll watchers from various political parties, representatives of other government agencies, and members of the media.
Lawyer Pinky Jevini G. Tentativa said the official ballots will be securely stored at the City Comelec Bodega following the inspection. They will only be deployed to the respective clustered precincts on election day, May 12, at exactly 12:01 a.m.
The facility, she said, is under round-the-clock security, with Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel, security guards, and Comelec staff assigned to ensure the safekeeping of the ballots.
The City Treasurer’s Office, with over 60 assigned personnel, is responsible for the proper storage and timely distribution of the official ballots on election day. The ballots will be deployed to designated districts in the city —Arevalo, City Proper, La Paz, Jaro, Lapuz, Mandurriao, and Molo — and will be escorted by police personnel./PN
